High-peat products offered at Glee as demand expands

High-peat products were back at Glee this year, with Westland, Bord na Mona and William Sinclair all promoting offerings for the traditional gardener.

Jack's Magic by Westland is 90 per cent peat with added seaweed and
loam. It "takes gardening right back to its roots, providing the
gardener with a no-nonsense natural mix", according to the company.

Sinclair retail managing director Danny Adamson, who launched a 100 per
cent peat product last year, said: "I'm not surprised this is happening.
There is so much demand from garden centres. We say to garden centres:
'Make sure you are also selling lots of peat-free and peat-reduced to
offset it.'"

Vital Earth was promoting 75 per cent peat composts under the GroWise
brand from Bord na Mona, which the Derbyshire-based company is now
distributing in the UK. Bord na Mona horticulture director John Keogh
and representative Tommy Gill were at the show to promote the
product.

Scotts launched a 60 per cent peat Miracle-Gro Herb Planter.
Representative Geoff Hodge said: "Scotts is currently working on
reducing the peat content of all its composts for 2011 and to be
peat-free by 2020. Most of the range has a reduction from anything up to
20 per cent on the 2010 levels."

Meanwhile, the Growing Media Association (GMA) is to meet Defra minister
Richard Benyon on 14 October, after Benyon asked to be briefed on peat
issues.

GMA manager Tim Briercliffe said: "Benyon is looking to get the industry
view. We will tell him about the GMA peat reduction statement work with
the Government, how quickly the industry can change and the difficulty
in getting alternatives.

"I'd be surprised if his position is not very similar to the previous
Government's. The coalition has an environmental agenda and policy of
carbon reduction."